Sept. 30: Neverwinter Nights Review at Insomniac Gamers

In addition to those mentioned above, there are several other strengths here worth mentioning. The battle scenes are a sight to behold, with each parry, swing, dodge, blow and death impressively animated. This is quite an accomplishment given the hordes of combatants that often grace the screen. The hotkey system is the most inclusive I¿ve seen in a game of this kind (or in any game for that matter). Using the function keys in conjunction with shift and control, you are provided with a more than adequate 36 slots! Weapon and armor combinations, magical items, potions, spells, battle orders for your henchman, combat feats, special abilities; all can be effortlessly customized and "hotkeyed" in any manner you fancy. The prelude chapter does more than introduce the storyline and a few of it¿s key players; it runs you through a quick tutorial, tailored to your initial class and gender (do not misread here, there are no "gender re-assignment spells"). Even those unfamiliar with adventure gaming should feel at home by the time chapter one rolls around. Also, the inclusion of henchmen was a nice touch. You are far from having an entire party at your disposal, but it is nice to have a single ally with which to counter-balance your own characters strengths and weaknesses.

There's no mark attached to the review, but the piece is overwhelmingly positive. Neverwinter Nights was published by Infogrames and developed by BioWare. - Pipeline